Street-car advertising-sign.



WITNESSES /J W. T. GHILDS.

STREET GAR ADVERTISING SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1911.

1,031,169. Patented July 2,1912.

ERAS BALL 3 2 m) MY 2 AT PARK 7 TAKE g0 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

4 INVENTOR- W. T. OHILDS.

STREET UAR ADVERTISING SIGN.

APPLIOATION IILED NOV.2, 1911.

1,031,169, Patented July 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l/VVENTOR JV. SIM-Q ing readily changed asmay be desired.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD T. CHILDS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET-CAR ADVERTISING-SIGN.

Application filed November 2,

To allwho'm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD T. Gimme, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStreet- Car Advertising-Signs, of which the following is a.specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inthe construction of illuminated signs such as are adapted to be appliedto street cars for the use of indicating the designation thereof, or tomotor vehicles to indicate the number of the license or any otherdesired matter.

The object of the invention is to provide a sign of this character whichis simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be readilymounted upon a street car or the like, and which is peculiarlyconstructed to admit of the display words or characters be- A furtherobject of the invention is to provide an illuminated sign in which thecharacters or words will be very distinctly displayed either during theday or after dark, which is compact in its construction, and which canbe easily and quickly mounted in position or removed therefrom.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of the parts: as will more fullyappear as the description proceeds, the novel; features thereof beingpointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, ref rence is to be had to thefollowing descripton and accompanylng drawmgs, in which Figure It is afront elevation of an illuminated sign constructed in. accordance withthe invention. Fig.2 is a perspective view of the mainframe of theilluminated sign, the electric light bulbs and display platesbeingremoved. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the deviceon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig; 4 is a front elevation of the sign withthe display plates removed, portions of the frame being broken away andshown in section. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through one ofthe forward corners of the main frame and a port-ion of. one of theadvertising or display plates, the said View bringing out certaindetails of the fastening means utilized for holdmg the d1splay plates inposition. Fig. 6 1s a front Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J uly 2, 1912. 1911. Serial 1:... 658,239.

elevation of an advertising or display plate, the said view showing amodification in which various individual letters are adapted furthermodification of the invention. Fig.

8 is a horizontal sectional view through the same on the line 8-8 ofFig. 7. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of one'end of one of the dis play oradvertising plates, and Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view on the line1010 of Fi 7.

act-responding and like parts are referred to in the following Kdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The supporting frame upon which the sign plates are mounted may beconveniently formed from a single piece of sheet material, as indicatedupon the drawings, and comprises a back 1 provided at the upper endthereof with apair of hook memers 2 adapted to be'placed in enga ementwith some suitable support such as that indicated at 3. A side member 4extends forwardly from each side'of the base 1, the outer edge of eachof the side members being formed with. an inwardly extending 4 isprovided upon the inner face thereof with a series of electric lightsockets 6.

- flange 5. Each of the side members or walls Suitable wires 8 areutilized for supplying current to the electric lights, and these W'H'QS-Would be connected to some suitable plug adapted to be applied to aconvenient socket upon the street car so as to provide for the lightingof the lamps when the sign is in use.

The front of the frame is formed by a series. of removable plates 9which have suitable characters 10 punched therethrough. These plates areprovided at opposite ends thereof with inverted key hole slots 1];adapted to be engaged by headed studs 12 projecting from the respectiveflanges 5. The heads of the studs pass readily through the enlarged endsof the key hole openings, and the plates are then moved downwardly tobring the shanks of the studs within the contracted upper ends of thekey hole openings; The plate is thereby held securely agamst outmm m: l

1 ing any desired information, ormay form at night the lamps 7 would belit so as to designs or figures suitable for advertising or displaypurposes. The back 1 would be painted white so that the characters 10would be Very distinct during the day, and

illuminate the perforations. 10 and render the same easily visible atcomparatively great distances.

' A modification is shown in Fig. 6 in which a sign plate 9 is providedwith a series of openings 14, adapted to have smaller plates 15appliedthereto, the said smaller plates having individual letters or characters16 punched therein. Each" of these smaller plates 15' is provided with apair of upwardly-and downwardly project-- ing cars 17 having invertedkey hole slots I .18 therein, the said key holes adapted to en gage theheaded studs 19 to retain the individual plates removably in position.Each of the individual plates 15 is provided with an individual letteror character 16, and the 'said. individual plates can be assembled inany desired manner so as to spell certain Words. The different signplates 9 would beapplied to the headed studs 12 in the same manner asthe plates 9, the inverted key hole slots 11 being. provided the platesfor.

that purpose; 4

A further modification is shown inFigs.

' 7, 8, 9 and 10, in which positive means is *ends thereof. The displayplates 9 are cidental displacement.

provided for locking the plates against ac- The construction of thesupportlng frame is the same as that previously described, and theheaded studs 12 project from the flanges 5 in' the'same manner. Thedisplay plates 9 are provided with suitable perforate characters 20adapted to be brought out and rendered dis tinct either by theilluminated lights 12 or' the white background formed by the rearplate 1. Opposite ends ofthe plates 9 are provided with the inverted keyhole slots 21' having lateral extensions 22 at the upper applied to theheaded studs as'previously described, and then shifted laterally tobring the shanks of the headed studs into the lateral extensions 22 ofthe inverted key ."hole'slots 2 1. Aspring catch 23 upon one end of theplate-91 then springs into engagement with the edge of one of theflanges 5 movement.

The plate is thereby held securely against displacement, and it isimpossible to remove the plate until after the spring catch 23 has beendisengaged from the flange 5 to admit of the plate being shiftedlongitudinally. to bring the shank ofthe headed stud into the verticalportion of the key hole slot. The noseof the catch 23 is provided'withan arm projecting forwardly through an opening in the plate andterminating in afinger piece 24. WVhen it is desired to move the plate,it is merely necessary to'pull outwardly upon the finger piece 24 so asto disengage the catch 23 from the flange 5, and then to shift the platefirst longitudinally and then upwardly, as 'previously described.

From the foregoing descriptiomit will be obvious that I have provided anilluminated sign which is simple and inexpensive in its construction andwhich admits o'f' thedisplay matter being easily and quickly changed asmay be found necessary. 2 Having thus described the invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An illuminated sign including a casing having an open side, a lamp'within the casing, headed studs projecting from the easing on oppositesides of the open side thereof, rubber washers upon the headed studs,.and display plates applied to the open side of the casing andhaving'characters punched therein, the said display plates beingformedwith key hole slots adapted to interlock with I the headed studsand'the rubber washers serving to prevent rattling of the displayplates. i 7 i An illuminated signincluding a casing formed of a single.piece of sheet material and comprising a back having opposite edgesthereof extended outwardly vto provide sides and the said sides beingprovided with inwardly extending flanges, .electric light socketsapplied to the sides, electric lights fitted to the sockets, headedstuds projecting from the inwardly projecting I flanges of the sides,and a series of plates connecting the flangesof the sides and formingthe front of the casing, the said plates having characters punchedtherein and being formed with key hole slots adapted to interlock withthe headed studs. v In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturein'presence of two witnesses.

' WILLARD T. CHILDS.

Witnesses:

HARLAN P. SMALL, BERTHA L. Batman.

